Officer Down
by LouEthelip
Summary: Nene gets badly injured in the line of duty. Based on original BGC characters. Please read and review
1. Officer Down

OFFICER DOWN

BY LOUIS GAGLIANO

(written in honor of all who wear the uniform real or not)

It was the two words police through the years hated to hear. The words that froze the very blood of rookie and veteran police alike.

"Officer down! We have an officer down! We need emergency medical personnel immediately.", came the panicked voice on the end of the receiver.

It all started so simply. A.D. Police were called to the scene of an apartment complex that had been under attack by boomers which had without explanation began running amok. Inspector Leon McNichols was in the first wave to arrive on the scene. There would be no negotiations with this machine. Boomers of this type didn't process information the same way many computers would. In addition it was destroying the apartment building where many people on both ends of the age spectrum were living. The rouge boomer was putting their lives in danger.

He never saw her come into his vision until the last moment. He heard the crashing of a scooter against the ground and a petite, young, redhead running at full speed to where the scared occupants were huddling in fear. Instead of an ADP uniform all she had on that was visible was a mustard colored jacket, and brown slacks. It was a fellow police officer who apparently had been on her way to work when she saw the situation. The women was putting herself in danger with no protection, not even so much as a firearm to save her from harm

"Nene! Get out of there", shouted Inspector McNichols.

The young women refused to even acknowledge the order. She made it to her goal diving down to prevent the boomer from getting a good shot off on her. Leon watched as she spoke to the group though the noise of the firefight was too loud, and the distance too great to determine what had been said. After catching her breath Nene used hand signals to Leon to indicated she wanted him to provide cover fire. He could tell what she had in mind. By keeping the boomer busy Nene was planning on evacuating the trapped people to a safer location.

When the boomer looked to be turning his attention to the apartment Leon was ready, Making sure Nene and the others wouldn't be caught in the spray of bullets he peppered the area with round after round.

"Over here ugly!", he spoke loud enough to get the machines attention.

Nene didn't waste a second. Grabbing two of the infants in her arms who were only slightly smaller than she was the policewomen indicated to the others to start running. The sounds of the battle were all over the place. In the meantime Leon marveled how cool his fellow officer was behaving in the most heated of moments. Turning the corner of the building Nene placed the two youngsters on their feet and pointed them to where they should go. Then she was directing some of the seniors towards the proper location.

Leon never saw what happened after that. He heard the groaning of the steel structure as it began to lose its integrity. The building began to topple like a giant domino, taking down the boomer with it. The danger appeared to be over. Taking a sigh of relief he found himself marveling over the cool headed behavior of his comrade. Nobody would have blamed Nene if she had continued on and ignored the situation but instead put her life on the line to save others.

His beaming over the pride he felt was short lived. An elderly man tried to flag down Leon seeking his attention

"We've got someone hurt here!" Spoken in a tired but clear voice.

Running towards the man Leon thought that perhaps some of the occupants didn't make it. The old man escorted him to a sight that took his breath away. Under the rubble and steel of a corner section of the building was Nene. She was barely conscious and bleeding badly.

"We need a construction boomer here ASAP, we also need medical personnel here on the double. We've got an officer down! Repeat officer down!"

Leon knew the steel beams would be to heavy to move by himself. Instead he worked his hands around the twisted rubble and unzipped her jacket. There he saw the immediate danger. She was bleeding severely right below the right side of her chest. Without pausing he applied his hands to the would trying to put enough pressure on the area to slow down the bleeding and keep her alive. As he pressed down he heard a groan from the young women.

"Forgive me Nene, I know this hurts but its better than dying."

The emergency medical team was at the location within 10 minutes but their skills were of limited use until the construction boomer showed up 45 minutes later. All the while Leon kept the pressure on the wound knowing they were working against the clock to save her.

When the last of the beams were removed the medical team went to work in earnest. He didn't need to hear that Nene was in bad shape. He knew it. With every report it became clearer that if they saved the young women it would only be by the thinnest of margins.

"Tokyo General, we have a young redhead female, she is barely conscious . Blood Pressure is 80/40 currently, pulse is 30. She is also suffering from contusions, broken ribs, however the immediate need is the loss of blood. Blood type currently unknown."

"She's type O" ,responded Leon.

"Female is type O. She'll need at least two units upon arrival. Also prep for surgery STAT. Get OR prepped."

"If it'll help I could give her some blood. We're the same type."

At one time it was considered somewhat of an ironic joke that Leon and Nene shared the same blood type. The young redhead use to joke that he'd better treat her nice in case she would ever be needed to give blood to save his life. How ironic that it turned out to be the other way around.

Leon didn't remember much after that. His head was swimming in emotional panic. All he could think about was keeping Nene alive by the plastic tubing that was transferring his blood to her. They rode in the ambulance on twin gurney's. Earlier she had shown herself to be a giant of an individual. Now she looked so tiny and fragile. She had lost consciousness during the transfer to the hospital. The only sounds that indicated she was alive was the slow beats of the heart monitor and the oxygen mask as a breath was being taken in. He couldn't even see her chest raising and falling.

The vehicle made it to the hospital in mere minutes. There the pair was wheeled in and prepped for emergency surgery. Eventually the tubing for the direct blood transfusion was removed and Leon was wheeled to a nearby recovery area. There he stayed alone with his thoughts., praying to whatever deity might be listening to him.

His loneliness was eventually broken up with the arrival of Daley Wong, another ADP officer and Leon's most consistent partner. He tried to sit up but the giving of his blood and the quickness of his trying to sit up made him dizzy and he collapsed back on the bed.

"Whoa. Not so fast partner. You need to do this slowly. Here I brought you some orange juice, that should help your blood level."

"Thanks, so any word about Nene?", Leon asked.

His partner shook his head negatively.

"Too early to tell. They'll be in surgery at least three more hours. If she survives then Nene will have you to thank for that."

That news did help Leon's spirits at least a little. She was still alive. As bad as she looked back at the apartments he was thankful the worst hadn't happened yet. Still he knew there was a long way to go.

Back at Sylia kept close tabs to the police monitor. From the moment she heard the report of an female officer down she had a bad feeling about it. When it was confirmed by the scanner that it was Nene it was like a sick punch to the stomach. Worse for now there was nothing she or the other Knight Sabers could do for support. She was going to have to be careful how to proceed here to protect Nene's duel identity and still try and save her life.


	2. ADP

Chapter 2

The A.D.P.

In the waiting area of the hospital two figures waited but they were anything but idle. Walking back and forth Leon racked his brains to describe in detail what had transpired earlier in the day with the rouge boomer. Sitting down with a notepad in hand Daley took down word for word what was being said. Yet, never did their thoughts wander far from the women is the operating room less than 100 feet away. Each kept looking over hoping someone would come out of the room.

It was so difficult for Leon to keep his mind focus, but eyewitness accounts had to be taken while the memories were freshest. For years he was always told that even if it is painful to remember the memories had to be told. Now he felt like a bastard wondering how many witness he treated like he was being drilled now and if they felt the same sickness in their belly that he had now.

Hours passed when their Chief Todo came to the hospital. His presence wasn▓t needed for the investigation but in spite of the rough exterior he often displayed he did care about the people under his command. If one was hurt then he felt the hurt. His exterior showed in full display the years of hard work he had been through for the force. The thinning, graying hair, wrinkles, a bit of a gut but he could still handle himself if an emergency were to come up.

"Any word on Nene's condition?" ,the chief asked.

"Nothing so far." ,replied Daley.

"So, how long has she been in surgery?"

"Several hours."

"6 hours 17 minutes so far.", Leon replied in a monotone expression.

Another 10 minutes would pass when the surgeon walked out of the operating room. Removing the medical mask from his face he leaned backwards against the wall in exhaustion. He appeared so tired yet he knew there were people who were waiting for word on the ladies condition.

Leon didn't even wait for the doctor to come over. He ran over hoping not to hear the worst. Leon and the chief reached the doctor only a few seconds after Leon.

"Well doc? Did she make it? Is she alive?", Leon questioned the doctor quickly.

"Are you family?", the physician asked.

"No, we're police, and she's our co-worker.", responded the chief.

"Does she have family near here?"

"We can contact them", Todo answered.

"Then do so...quickly"

In Sylia's apartment the other members of the Knight Saber huddled together to absorb the events of the day. They watched the various news report of the incident.

"...and here is a amateur video sent into our station of the incident where you can see the valiant off duty officer carrying children to safety..."

Finally the group could no longer watch the events again. Sylvia turned off the television. Letting out a sigh she turned to her co-patriots.

"Needless to say this is a tough time for the Knight Sabers. The good news, if there is any to be gleamed from this tragedy is that according to my sources Genom is in PR mode. They're already putting out public notices of taking care of Nene's hospital bill and rehab."

"I wonder if they'd feel the same way if they knew Nene was also a Knight Saber?" Linna opinioned.

"Stinking blood money if you ask me.", cursed Priss.

"Be that as it may because of this it looks like Genom is going to be laying low in their activities for at least the short term which will give us a chance to regroup."

Turning to her brother Mackie who had been sitting through the whole discussion silently, Sylia spoke.

"Mackie, for the time being we're going to need you to take over Nene's role."

The request caught him completely by surprise. Finally he sputtered out

"What?!?!? You can't be serious here. I mean I know Nene has taught me a lot about computers and hacking but I'm not anywhere near her league."

Sylia looked at him sympathetically. She knew a lot was being asked of him. More than any other person his age would have to do. Yet she remained firm.

"All I'm asking if for you to do your best. We"ve always valued Nene's knowledge and her special abilities. Well we don't have that now. Right now you're the best option we have in case Genom decides to start acting up again. In the meantime I'll make modifications to your suit and put out a new code to crack to find a suitable replacement for Nene.."

The news of a possible replacement felt like a slap in the face to Mackie. When he found his voice he got very angry.

"Replace Nene? You're just going to abandon her when she needs us the most?"

Trying to reassure him Sylia countered.

"No, its nothing like that. We're going to take care of her. Still this is a war and we need to take all steps to make sure we win."

With a deafening tone of voice Mackie countered.

"You cold hearted bitch! You don't care. Is that all Nene was to you? A tool? Like a hammer that when it breaks you go out and get a new one? Well some things can't be replaced Sylia _**my dear sister **_, and Nene is one of them."

Without another word Mackie grabbed his jacket, walked to the door, flinging it open so hard it threatened to go through the wall on the other side. In his wake he left three ladies in total shock.

The first to react was Priss.

"Why that punk kid. Who is he to talk to you like that? How dare he..."

Sylia simply raised her hand indicating to Priss not to say anymore.

"Look this has been a shock for all of us. As difficult as this time is it must be so much harder for him. After all we are her friends and teammates. However to Mackie she's not only a friend and teammate, I think he loves her even if he doesn't quite understand that yet."

The day of misery continued for Chief Todo. After leaving the hospital he had to perform one of the most distasteful things his job requires. Calling the family of an officer who had been seriously wounded. His only consolation was that Nene was still alive, though in a medically induced coma because of swelling in her brain.

Because Nene was single the call had to go to her parents. It was a call he took a lot of time to prepare for. Even after all these years it hadn't gotten any easier to do. It tore his heart apart to hear Nene's mother weeping as her father kept asking how such a thing could happen to his baby girl. When the phone call was completed he felt a lot older than his chronological age.

It didn't get any easier for him when at the end of work day briefing with his troops he laid out the seriousness of her situation. Even the most battle hardened of his force took the news hard. Just before he was ready to go home and try to pretend that this was nothing more than a bad dream a young policewomen came into his office. She told him that Naoko was crying uncontrollably in the ladies locker room.

It was a situation that didn't surprise Todo. After all while Nene was friendly with all the members of the force she had struck a very close relationship with Naoko. The chief asked all the ladies who were still inside to finish changing clothes so he could talk to her in private. Once inside he spent close to a half an hour talking her through this. For one of the rare times he didn't talk to her as a supervisor or boss talking to an underling. He softened his tone at times speaking more like a father to a daughter. He let her know it was all right to cry. That part of him was doing the same on the inside. He offered comfort and compassion to the young girl. Because of her job she had known officers who had been hurt in the line of duty. This was the first time it had happened to a friend.

The final straw was as he headed back to his office to pick up his car keys. His phone had a light flickering on and off indicating a message had been left. It turned out to be his niece Lisa who not so long ago had been getting escorted by Nene around the area during her school break. She had heard the news and was looking for any information about how she was doing.

When he hung up the phone the weight of the day had gotten to much for him. He called home saying that he'd be back late. That he was going to head to a local bar for a few beers. His wife understood completely. After warning him not to drink too much she let him go.

Mackie stayed alone in his room for a while after his blow up in front of his sister and the others. He knew he was out of line for what he said but couldn't go back and apologize for it. Instead he looked at the computer in his room, thinking about all the times him and Nene worked so closely together. What made her so special to him was that she treated him as an equal always, never as "Sylia's kid brother". How many times while working together did Nene fall asleep on his shoulder from sheer exhaustion of her regular job and this cause. He'd never admit it in front of the others but he liked it that she felt comfortable enough around him to behave like that or not be offended if she'd wake up feeling his arm supporting her around the waist.

Now everything felt so empty. The screen looked at him blankly, with no data showing on it until he finally said softly to nobody in particular.

"Nene, I need you. I can't do this alone. I just can't."

Caressing his glass of beer Chief Todo looked deep into his golden liquid trying to get grip on the events of the day. He thought of that first day he was introduced to her. Between her short physique and youthful looks he couldn't believe she was actually eighteen. By the time he leaned of her true age she had quietly and effectively became valued member of the force. After the discovery he took steps to shield the young women. While he refused to interfere with his section chiefs decisions concerning her duties he would sometimes suggest certain duties be given to her. Of course the final say belonged to Nene's section chief but Todo's suggestions were never unreasonable and carried considerable weight.

Emptying his glass he asked the bartender for a refill. While waiting for the drink he was joined by Daley Wong who leaned against the bar to order 2 drinks. When he realized his boss was at the bar Daley asked him to join Leon and him for a drink. At first the chief was hesitant to do so but after Daley pressed the point to join the pair he reconsidered. Grabbing his restock glass Todo and Wong walked through the crowd. Taking the two empty chairs Leon looked upon is boss with a degree of sympathy.

"You know chief, There are days when I really envy you and the job you have. Today though is definatly not one of those days however." ,Leon stated in a matter of fact tone.

Todo dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand. The three sat with their alcoholic drinks not doing too much talking at first. Finally it was Leon who broke the silence between them.

"I keep sitting here thinking I should have done more to stop her. I yelled at her to get out but she just didn't listen. I know she must have heard me. Yet she just charged in the danger."

" That's what the special cops do. She acted on instinct. If she had stopped to think about what she was doing most likely it would have been to hard to do it." ,added Todo.

"But how is it that so much guts could have been put into such a tiny little body?", Leon asked.

"I guess they actually found some space left after giving her such a big heart." Daley interjected.

"I was thinking back to the first day I met her. Here was this sweet, innocent girl going into a profession that can suck the sweetness and innocent out of you. I kidded her a lot, teased her even more often. Have to admit that going to work tomorrow will be a lot darker." ,Leon admitted.

"Yeah, there were days I'd look for an excuse just to pass by Nene to hear her chipper hello's, that voice that was as easy on the ears as her body was easy on the eyes.", Daley interjected.

"Nene Romanova. Soft and gentle as a teddy bear, twice as cuddly.", Todo concluded.

There pity party was interrupted when they heard the bar television. Only then did they realize that they had been drinking all the way through to the evening news. The lead story of the day being the incident the three had come to the bar to forget. The three watched in revulsion as the incident was shown not just once but from a few different camera angles. The three tried to keep silent until a drunk patron stood up and shouted.

Change the damn channel. I don't want to hear about that crap anymore!"

The drunks friends tried to get him to sit down and be quiet. The effect turned out to be quite the opposite.

"Oh come on. You don't really care about that little bitch do you? As far as I'm concerned the A.D.P. is worse than worthless. Do you know what they call 100 A.D. Policemen at the bottom of the ocean? A good start!"

Leon began to stand up to confront the inebriated patron only to have Daley grab his arm and shake his head trying to implore Leon not to do what he had in mind.

"Stay cool Leon. I'm sure the manager will have him removed soon." , retorted Todo.

"Give me a chance and I'll remove him right now." ,insisted Leon.

The drunken loudmouth seeing Leon's glare wobbled over to the threesome and spoke.

"Oh so you think the A.D.P. is such hot stuff? They're clueless. They're incompetents, They couldn't catch a cold much less a criminal."

By this time the owner of the bar had come over to try and quell the disturbance the drunk was causing. Apparently more than a few patrons were disturbed by his actions.

"Sir, you are creating a disturbance. As the owner I'm asking you to either sit down and be quiet or else I'm going to insist that you leave."

Continuing to be confrontational the drunk countered

"What? Are you one of those damn A.D.P. lovers. Get this through your head. A.D.P. is nothing and I still hope that little bitch dies!"

That was the last straw for Leon. He didn't care what happened to him after this. He was going to put his fist so far into the guy's mouth he was going to be spitting out teeth for the next week...

...Only Chief Todo beat him to it.

With a speed and force nobody could have expect from a man of his age, in a swift motion he exploded out of his chair and in one expert punch to the nose not only knocked the guy down but knocked him into unconsciousness, though Todo sensed part of the knockout was due to the effects of the drinks the man had been consuming.

Looking on in shock like the rest of the crowd Leon and Daley's eyes grew wide flabbergasted by what they had just witnessed. Todo looked around waiting to see if anybody else had anything to add to the drunks rant. Instead to his surprise the patrons of the establishment started applauding and whistling in approval of his actions. At first Todo wasn't sure how to respond. Finally he simply raised his hand in a thank you motion then sat down as the friends of the drunk began to remove themselves from the area.

Gathering their composure Leon asked a question of his chief.

Wasn't it you who said I should keep cool? "

Taking a sip of his beer Todo looked at Leon and stated in a calm tone of voice.

"That was cool."


	3. Priss

Chapter 3

Priss

The next 72 hours was a flurry of activity in the Intensive Care Unit Section of the hospital where the comatose Nene was residing. Nurses and other care physicians came into her room at regular intervals to check on her condition. Beside the swelling in her brain the biggest cause for concern was the very real possibility of an infection. Also to keep her immune system strong regular doses of vitamin's were injected into her IV tube. It was through this method that the you women was being fed.

Through the process her parents had stayed by her side. Spending every allowable minutewith their daughter in her room they knew there was nothing that could be done on their parts. Looking around the room they kept looking at all the flowers that had been sent to her. Many were from her police friends but just as many had been sent from the people who she had risked her life for. Still there were others who were sent by ordinary people who saw her extraordinary display of courage. They were only a small portion of the well wishes she had recieved. In fact so many flowers arrived that they could not be fitted in the room so at the request of the parents they were given to other parents who weren't so blessed to have family or friends with them in their time of need. It made them sad when they reflected on the fights they use to have with their daughter. The strictness of her upbringing which eventually caused her to run away for a time. They were just thankful that the three were eventually able to reconcile and not have miles of silence between them now.

Their meeting with the doctor was a hardship. Trying to describe in layman's terms just how much danger their daughter was still in so it could be understood. In a moment of frustration the father finally said to the doctor

"All right! She's in bad shape! We get it! She's still in danger!! We got that!! What…..are….. her…..chances!!

The doctor stood in silence for a few seconds waiting for the man's anger to subside. His anger was a natural response so no offense was taken with his tone. Now came the news he didn't want to say. The news he wished he could spare the grieving parents from hearing.

"Not good. The books say her chances of survival is 10. Of course your daughter does have some advantages that could improve the odds. She's young, in very good health otherwise. According to you had no penalizing health habits. Plus the fact we were able to give her an infusion before she went into shock. To be blunt though I'd still only give her chances of beating this at 20 and even if she survives I don't know how much of her brain functions will be affected.

"You mean even if she lives she could become a…..",the mother spoke but was unable to finish the sentence.

The doctor didn't respond. He would let this current crop of news settle in before he dared to talk about any long term damage.

Outside at the door of her room A.D. police officers stood watch over their fallen comrade overheard the whole conversation. Their fought through their emotions to continue doing their job. Though publicly Genom behaved as if they were concerned for the Nene's well being it was believed that Genom would try to find a way to "accidentally" finish the job their boomer had started. What was surprising though was how many officers were willing to volunteer their overtime to look out for her.

One of the officers who was not allowed in the room was Chief Todo. After his impersonation of Mike Tyson at the bar the previous evening, he was suspended from the police force pending a hearing from the disciplinary board. During the forced vacation he would not be allowed to perform any police work or function. Still it did not prevent him from taking some steps to help.

He read a report that from time to time hospitals would run low on blood supplies and this was unacceptable in his eyes. Not just because of Nene or even the other police in his department. After so many years on the force he had seen more injuries and violence than most could ever comprehend. In the past he had been asked to assist in blood drives. Now in hiatus he decided this was the time to take action.

The chief went on any television, radio, and internet show that would have him to plead his case to donate blood. He used what happened to Nene as a rallying cry for help. When the director of his first commercial shoot worked with him there was no need to tell Todo to be passionate about the case. All he had to do is think about the young girl in the hospital room and it gave him all the passion and heart he needed to do the job.

Another person who never came into Nene's room was Leon, not for lack of wanting to. Every day he came to the hospital with a bouquet of flowers to be put in her room. He wanted to see her but when he got near her room he couldn't bring himself to go in. He still felt so guilty over what had happened to her. That he didn't do more to stop her. Hearing her parents in the room he wondered what he could say to them that could offer any sort of comfort? Then every day he would simply give the flowers to one of the officers guarding her room and ask them to put them inside after he was gone before turning around and walking away. Since there was no card attached to the flowers nobody else in the room had a clue who had sent them.

Yet for all the people who showed their strong feelings for Nene there were four who were forced to keep their distance for her safety. The Knight Sabers could do little to help during this time. The worst part for them was to just not know what was going on. During this time they tried to muddle through the day as best they could. At her trailer Priss shut herself off from the world while Linna took extra shifts at the gym teaching aerobics which at the end of the day left her so tired she needed to nap at her changing locker.

At the Stingray residence Sylia and Mackie were busy too. While still running her store Sylia worked well into the evening to modify Mackie's body suit to help take over some of Nene's duties. The physical modifications wasn't so difficult as dealing with Mackie's outbursts about his replacing Nene. The young man felt like he was betraying her by doing this, backstabbing her. Each night it seemed like Sylia was trying to massage through her younger brothers feeling about the issue.

The stress began to show in the Knight Saber's training as well. Linna was beginning to have problems with the battle program. She couldn't show the focus needed to win the fights at level 8 and often struggled just to complete the 6th. Priss couldn't seem to keep her concentration at the weight lifting stations. Her form started getting a little sloppy. Even though she was clearly the strongest member of the team the situation was affecting her as well.

Things got a little better for the group when through some connections at the hospital Sylia was able to sneak in a vase of flowers into Nene's room The vase however held a miniature video camera which allowed them to get their first visual look at their colleague. There was both joy and relief to be able to see her though it was mixed with a great deal of sadness to see how ill she come across on the video monitor. However being able to see Nene again boosted the Knight Saber's morale as they headed towards the workout center for the evening.

The backsliding efforts of the last few nights seemed to reverse themselves almost immediately. Priss hit the weights with more effort and Linna's hand to hand skills were getting closer to her top form. Even Sylia saw how her ability to concentrate on matters were improving. However Mackie still appeared to be lacking energy for any task. It wasn't until later in the night when the other had gone home and Sylia had prepared herself for bed when she came down to see Mackie sitting down in front of the monitor with Nene on it. If it wasn't for his occasional sigh she would have thought him as asleep or frozen. Until he saw her younger brother reach out towards the screen to rub the image of Nene's cheek. Avoiding any noises Sylia went to her room allowing her sibling the alone time he obviously needed right now.

It was an uneventful bike ride back to her trailer for Priss. Normally after a show or rehearsal she loved the feeling of the breeze against her as she sped down the highway. Tonight though those feelings were absent. Occasionally she found herself shaking her helmeted head trying to clear the thoughts of Nene from her mind. She needed to stay focus on the road where attention was key to avoid getting hit by the larger, sturdier automobiles who could send her flying without a hard suit to protect her.

It was with relief when Priss pulled up next to her trailer. Parking the vehicle and securing it she removed her helmet before she entered her personal domicile. As usual the place was a mess with items tossed about with no regard for cleanliness. She sat down on the mattress trying to relax herself to sleep but this night it wasn't happening.

Scanning the room she saw her old guitar leaning against the corner between two angled walls. It showed a degree of dustiness from lack of use and cleaning. Reaching over Priss grabbed the musical instrument and began to gently pressing some cords. It felt different to hear the sounds of her old friend since she had gotten use to the higher tech sounds of the pieces of equipment her band "The Replicants" made.

As the music started to sooth her the mind began to think more about Nene. Of all the women of the Knight Sabers Nene was the one person she had the least in common with. Sometimes in the past she would scoff why she was even part of the team. Sometimes Priss would question her value. After all she wasn't strong like she was. She didn't have Linna's flexibility, agility, and stamina. Even Sylia scientific skills in designing the hard suits made her more valuable than the young redhead. Of course Nene would counter.

"I contribute to the Knight Sabers with my incredible good looks and amazing brainpower. Besides I wouldn't want to be an ape women like you."

The thought couldn't stay out of Priss's head that her looks and brainpower didn't do her that much good when the structure fell.

Her work with the A.D.P. was another point of contention between the two. There was strong resentment from Priss towards all those who worked there. That in some cases they were as bad as the boomers they were trying to battle in her opinion. What would really irk her though would be the occasional times when Priss would be speeding and it would be Nene who'd catch her. Many times she was able to intimidate the younger girl into looking the other way if she could see that nobody else was around to hear the conversation. Of course there was the time Nene was traveling with Lisa Venette her chief's niece and Nene laid down the law giving her a ticket for going 50 kilometers over the limit to Priss's shock and dismay. Later on in private Nene hacked into the computer and removed the ticket but the bitter feelings of that moment took longer to erase.

Her fingers began to work they keys of the guitar. Starting with only the most basic chords on the keyboard yet her mind ran through a flurry of questions she had about her fallen comrade. Maybe the questions were moot now. Still, why did she do it? How did she think she'd improve the situation? Was she crazy? Was she a fool? Was she just plain stupid?

As the questions continued filling her mind she found her creativity being stirred. The questions started to fit in with the chords she was playing. It is often said that inspiration is found at the lowest of moments. Well at that moment Priss found her muse.

It was mid-afternoon when Sylia came to her trailer. She had been scheduled for a practice with her band mates but most likely overslept. As she stepped out of the car she heard the strumming of a guitar and a tune being played. One she was unfamiliar with. Heading up the stairs she could hear Priss's voice singing. Not with the hard rock or heavy metal beat she was accustom to. This song was slow almost sounding like a ballad. From the outside of the trailer she heard the song.

**_Why did you run into the field, why did you go when others would yield._**

Are you a heroine, or are you a fool. Why did you do it. Lady in blue.

You put yourself in danger for strangers not met, rescuing all, having nobody left.

The building fell down on that morning so cool. Why did you do it. Lady in blue.

Lady in blue. A heart that's so true, Why did you do it, lady in blue?

You went and helped us, now let us help you.

Why did you go and risk your life, aren't you a mother, a lover, a wife?

What of your parents, your mom and dad, can't you see their faces so sad?

Can't you see they're eyes as they cry? They're little one they don't want to die.

**__**

"Priss?" ,she called out

She walked cautiously around the area until she discovered Priss in a sitting down in a corner, her knees drawn together with her head resting on the knees. At first Linna thought she was crying a most uncharacteristic trait for Priss. Then Linna heard Priss snoring. Then she realized she wasn't crying but sleeping. Near the resting body she saw sheet music nearby. Picking it up she looked at it and was reading the song she had just heard from outside. In this case though she was reading the entire work. Priss must have been awake al night long writing this arrangement. It was a complete work she had finished in a single evening. The headline of the song read "Lady in Blue (Nene's Song)" .

Never before had she known Priss to write this sort of work especially in a genre she was not familiar with. After thinking about it for a moment she realized that this wouldn't be the first time a heavy metal singer had written a softer song. Peter Criss, the drummer of the band KISS once wrote a ballad called Beth which went to #7 on the pop charts. Another hard rock band called Styx had a #1 seller with Babe. So why would it seem strange for Priss to come up with such an inspired song? After all it is commonly believed that from pain it is just a short step to inspiration and there was plenty of pain right now in their life.

Taking the paperwork she moved to a secluded area and made a couple of phone calls. The first was to the band to let them know to cancel the rehearsal since Priss was in no physical condition to even practice. Once that conversation ended she called a number she had known for a while but until now didn't have a reason to call. After a few rings she heard a female voice on the other end of the line.

"Hello?"

"Hi Vision. It Linna. I know this a little out of the blue but I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor?"


	4. Linna

**Authors notes: Sorry for the delay in writing this chapter. Kept writing myself into corners that I couldn't get out of then I lost my muse. Ironicly I found that muse when I discovered a member of my family has been diagnosed with cancer. A sick way to get your muse back huh. Well hopefully I can continue putting out more chapters and have this story come out as I'm hoping. Thanks. Also later on in the chapter there is a bunch of underlining. Don't know how it happened. Will fix later. Now enjoy. LouEthelip**

Chapter 4

Linna

Priss didn't remember when she fell asleep or how long she had been asleep. She also didn't remember having a blanket placed over her body when she had her siesta. Wiping the remaining sleep from her eyes it took several seconds before she noticed that the song sheets she had been working on had disappeared.

"Welcome back to the living Sleeping Beauty.", came a voice nearby.

Let her eyes focus further near the counter of what she called her 'kitchen' sat Linna on one of the stools. Next to her was another person. One she hadn't seen in a long time.

"Vision?" ,Priss asked.

"Been a while hasn't it. I got a call from Linna a short while ago saying you had written a song that she thought was pretty good and asked if I might take a look at it." ,the rock singer informed.

On one hand Priss was honored that someone as popular as Vision would take time out of what she was sure would be a very busy schedule to look at her work. However she wondered if the visit might contain another purpose.

"I've got to admit this is some great work you did. I'm actually surprised though at the subject matter. After all its pretty well known you're not a fan of the A.D. Police."

"Yeah, that's true. But you have to admire what that person did. Even if I don't like the police as a whole."

Vision nodded at the logic.

"I'd like to record this song. With the support of the whole Hu Bang company behind it, this song could be a very big seller."

Priss couldn't believe her ears. One of her songs actually being published and performed. There was a moment of unbridled joy coursing through her body. Then her mind thought about something else and the smile went away.

"I'm sorry Vision. I have to turn you down." ,answered Priss.

Both Linna and Vision seemed more than a little surprised by the response. Using their silence to her advantage Priss continued.

"Look I know you'd do an incredible job with the song. However this means a lot to me and if I can't be the one to sing it….."

She paused for a moment for effect before continuing.

"…..I'd rather bury it and let the worms have it. I just don't want to sell the song and let someone else sing it."

Linna looked on in both amazement and confusion. After all what singer wouldn't want their music to be shared with the world? Vision however had a different look. It was a expression of some new knowledge having been given to her.

"Priss, I think you've misunderstood my intent. I didn't come here to buy the rights to your song for me to sing it. My fans would know the first time they heard it that it wasn't a song written by me and I wouldn't insult their intelligence to try to pass it off as such. What I was talking about was having _**you record the song and the Hu Bang corporation push its distribution. However if were going to do this we have to move fast. I would classify this song in the novelty category since it is based on current events and the lifespan of such songs is very short indeed. Three to six months of selling legs at best before it would be forgotten. So are you still willing to give this to the worms?"**_

_**Priss sat there. Trying to figure out a way to avoid feeling incredibly stupid.**_

"_**I'm feeling so stupid having you accompany me here like I was a 3 year old." ,remarked Leon McNichols toward his partner Daley Wong.**_

_**The red haired Wong snickered at the remark. For the past several days he has had to put up with the frustration Leon let out at their apartment. How frustrated he was that all these day's later he would sooner confront an army of boomers than confront little Nene and her parents. Finally Daley had heard enough moaning and stated that he would come to the hospital with him and force the issue. Now in the early morning hours at hospital each with flowers in their hands Daley could see the nervousness etched in every crevice of Leon's body as they got closer to the room. When the pair was about 3 feet away from entering the room Leon's feet refused to move any further as if a force field was preventing further movement. Daley knew better. The only field that was holding him back was his perceived guilt over what happened to the young lady in the room.**_

"_**Come one Leon. Just a few steps to go. Then you'll be there"**_

_**He could see Leon's struggle to move forward. At least he wasn't moving away so that was a degree of progress. If he gave up now he might never be able to go in. Now it was time for some 'tough love'. He grabbed Leon by the arm and would drag him if need be into the room. However he first wanted to see if his partner would take the final steps on his own.**_

_**Since the incident Leon had been plagued by nightmares involving Nene. The nightmare's were quite violent and in each of them Nene would wind up hurt badly and Leon unable to prevent it. One dream had her run over by a boulder, another where she'd be hung up and crucified. The worst one however was he was forced to watch her being drawn and quartered in an execution. Each dream resulted in his waking up screaming. The screams were so loud that he'd wake up his fellow apartment mate Daly. The nightmares were having a negative effect on his ability to do his job. **_

_**It is one thing to know when there is a problem. It was something quite different to confront that same problem and look for absolution from the guilt.**_

_**The final steps were taken very slowly but Leon managed to transport himself into Nene's room. Yet his head was held low, unable to look directly at her. As he stood near the foot of the bed he forced his head to raise up, seeing the covers of her bed until they parted and he was finally able to see her innocent but unconscious face. The last time he saw her all he could remember was the blood coming out of her. Now the figure looked prepared for a trip with angels. Going up the side of the bed he held her hand which was still cool to the touch like it always had. **_

_**He stood there feeing conflicted. Part of him wanted to cry and beg forgiveness from the comatose figure. That however couldn't be done with so many people nearby. He had to be strong and stay that way no matter what.**_

"_**Congratulations on finally making it inside." , came a voice from his right side.**_

_**When Leon turned towards the voice he saw the Chief Todo who was sitting next to Nene's mother. **_

"_**Chief Todo. Haven't seen you since your Mike Tyson impersonation. Sorry about your suspension. I still think you were ripped off."**_

"_**I appreciate that. Still I did have the option to appeal the decision. I just wanted to do the time and start fresh. The real question should be are you all right?" ,he legitimately queried.**_

"_**I'm doing better than she is." ,Leon responded in a dry tone as he looked at her body.**_

_**The room was soon joined by another figure. It was a female in a doctor's smock, her stethoscope poking out from the pocket. She looked at everyone with her brown eyes as she smiled before looking over all the reports on Nene's vital signs. Then a pair of orderly's brought in a gurney and they began to move Nene onto it.**_

_**The action of the orderlies took Leon by surprise but the lack of a response from Nene's mother indicated that this was expected. As the mother stood up she asked the doctor to notify her when Nene was finished. Then turned to Leon and spoke.**_

"_**Mr. McNichols, care to share a cup of coffee?"**_

_**Sylia was part way downstairs when her brother Mackie rushed passed her heading in the other direction. His face was had the look of sheer panic that she couldn't understand. However she also knew that only one thing right now could cause this reaction. A couple more steps down and it was confirmed. The hidden camera in Nene's room showed that everybody was gone. Not just Nene but the people who had been watching over her. **_

_**Had Nene died during the course of the night? It was a thought that she didn't even want to think about. She had no idea what Mackie was about to do but she was going to find out right now. Heading towards his bedroom she found the door wide open which definitely not like her brother. She saw him at his private computer screen typing away as fast as his fingers were able to fly across the keyboard. After hitting the enter key he sat there waiting and muttering.**_

"_**Come on. Move faster damn you."**_

"_**What are you doing?" ,she finally asked.**_

_**Mackie turned around realizing for the first time that his sister was in the room. He turned back to his computer screen and continued to type as he talked**_

"_**Oh, hi. I'm just hacking into the hospital computer system to find out what's happened to Nene. Normally this would take several hours but actually I first hacked into their system several days ago soon after Nene was admitted in. Don't worry though. I've already set up several firewalls to prevent them from finding out I'm in their system. I just need to do a little typing and…..here we are. Romanova, Nene."**_

_**Scanning the data for a few moments he let a sigh that sounded like one of relief.**_

"_**It would appear she is being tested this morning. They are going to run both a cat scan and an MRI. If the results of the tests are to their liking they'll begin to terminate the drug induced coma."**_

_**The calm matter of fact tone used by Mackie surprised Sylia. It showed her once again how quickly her younger brother was growing up and maturing. **_

"_**That's amazing Mackie. Great work." ,she praised.**_

_**He comeback was a simply shrug of the shoulders.**_

"_**It was easy. After I was taught how to hack into almost any system by…….Nene." **_

_**Linna sat with Priss in a meeting with the Hu Bang heads to discuss the deal that would have Priss's song recorded. Before leaving Priss's domicile the rock and roller Attorney's that had never done business with the company to make sure there was no biases in their judgment were suggested several possible attorney's to Linna to help them in their representation. After all Hu Bang would be doing their best to make the best deal for the company. As they talked she was glad to have taken Vision's advice. The brass of Hu Bang talked in terms she had never heard of before. It was obvious after only minutes that she would have been over her head in these matters. Luckily the attorney she chose to represent Priss was more than a match for the job. Before the meeting the women gave her an important piece of advice. That no matter how good the offer would sound like do not in any circumstance take an offer that is based of the net profits of sales. That corporations were well known to take the any sales and magically turn all sales into a profit loss which would allow them to not pay any money to the recording artist. **_

_**Vision was not on this meeting. She felt it would be a conflict of interest if she appeared. It would have given Linna comfort to have a friendly face on the other side of the table. The meeting lasted for 2 hours yet even in the end the legal representative for Priss was not happy with the terms. Finally a temporary adjournment was agreed to for lunch so they could discuss options further later. During the break the mouthpiece tried to put what had happened inside in terms that could be understood by the two ladies. She expressed confidence that they might be willing to come closer to their desires for a contract after the lunch break but to not make any agreements with them without her being there. She would protect the assets and property of Priss. Linna felt confident she made the right choice for the person who was representing them.**_

_**Back at the hospital coffee shop Leon and Nene's mother sat at a table drinking coffee and ate some light snacks. The talks were superficial but one thing was obvious to the cop. That Nene had obviously gotten a lot of her good looks from her mother but her charm as well. He could easily imagine Nene looking and behaving exactly like this in 20-25 years……if she survives.**_

"_**You know Mr. McNichols my Nene has talked about you a lot to me. She respects you quite a bit. Not that she sometimes doesn't find fault with some of the things you say to her but overall she finds you to be quite a gentleman. She also thinks you'd make someone a fine husband."**_

_**Almost choking on his snack Leon wondered if the comment was made because the mother was hoping that if Nene recovers she might want Leon to propose marriage to her.**_

"_**I see the look in your eyes Mr. McNichols and the answer is no. I'm not trying to match you two up. My Nene isn't ready to settle down just yet. Not with you or any man. She still has too much of that wild streak in her that my husband and I tried so hard to suppress but failed to achieve. I guess I'm just not saying this right. I'm just trying to say is that I know you're hurting inside over this. Even though the words were never spoken when I ask about you to Mr. Wong I could see the discomfort in his eyes."**_

_**Softly, gently the mother put her petite hands onto Leon's. Her hands were cool to the touch, The touch was soft, gentle, motherly.**_

"_**I just want to assure you that you don't need to feel guilty about this. No guilt towards me or my husband. No guilt to anybody. I don't want to think about losing my Nene but thanks to you and the quick actions you took you've given my baby a chance to live. Think about that Mr. McNichols. You were the one who gave my baby a chance to live by your quick actions, by the donation of your own blood. When you leave this hospital today. Leave the guilt behind. You owe it to no one. All I ask of you is if she recovers from this watch over Nene and try to protect her when you can all right?"**_

_**At that moment Leon had no doubt where those wonderful qualities of Nene Romanova he respected so much came from.**_

_**Sylia cracked open the door to Mackie's room to announce lunch was ready. Expecting him to be hard at work on his computer. Instead she found him stretched out across his bed unconscious to the world. She thought back to what Mackie has been going through during this ordeal. Working at the garage 8 hours a day. Coming home eating just enough to keep his energy going then heading to the TV or it appears his computer. How long could any person withstand such a pace. Granted he had the energy level of a teenager but even that didn't mean he wasn't capable of succumbing to complete exhaustion. Grabbing an additional blanket from the closet she began to spread it out over the clothed body of her brother. As she put it over his shoulders a hand came over the top to hold her. It would have been easy enough for Sylia to break free without waking up the slumbering sibling until she heard a weary voice murmuring.**_

"_**Nene. Nene."**_

_**She waited until the hand began to relax and fall back down to the bed before finishing the covering. Giving him a kiss on the cheek she heard a bit of mumbling that she could not decipher. She was certain that he'd be ready to go with renewed vigor after sleeping a while.**_

_**As Priss, Linna and their attorney walked down the hall to begin round two of the negotiations they plotted the strategy and what the attorney thought would happen. In the afternoon sessions a couple of times it looked like the negotiations were going to break down without an agreement. However before things got out of hand cooler heads prevailed and by the end of the day an agreement was reached that both parties could live with. Priss would get a percentage of the gross sales plus a generous signing bonus.. Then if sales were strong enough a concert tour would be arranged where Priss would be given additional money and perks. Linna as her manager would receive 10 percent of all monies and the attorney another ten percent. **_

_**No sooner had the contract been signed when the power of the Hu Bang corporation sprang into action. A studio to record the song was secured for the next morning within one minute. A few minutes after that a band was obtained and a fax of the sheet music sent for them to practice. While all this took place another figure was on a separate line calling up various radio stations to let them know of a new song that would be coming to them within the next 48 hours and for them to give it heavy airplay immediately.**_

_**The machine style efficiency of the Hu Bang corporation make Linna feel very small. In mere minutes they had done more to make Priss a star than her years of efforts had ever achieved. At least now Linna had the pleasure of knowing that Priss was finally going to be known by more than her small group. A new congregation of fans would be able to hear just how good she was. By the same token Nene would be forever remembered by her unselfish act.**_

_**In the group Nene was the brains of the group where as Priss provided the pure muscle, Sylia the money and the hardware. Linna considered herself the most well balanced of the four. She was in better cardiovascular condition than Priss though not able to match her strength. She was proud of her flexibility and that ability allowed her to fight at the higher level's of Sylia's hologram battle simulators. However in sheer technological brainpower she was nowhere near Nene's league and she knew it. Though she would tease her for her lack of exercise and eating habits. She also knew that Nene's knowledge of computers and the ability to hack into them had saved both them and society in general on several occasions. Of course she was still suffered from the curse of her youth which also made her naïve in more mature matters of the world. Though she was as important as any member of the group her petite status would make Linna think of her as a 'kid sister'. How she wouldn't mind having that kid sister around right now.**_

_**Back at the hospital Nene was being transported back to her room via her gurney. Her mother was already in the room having been signaled that the tests had been completed. Leon had left soon after the coffee with the mother while Chief Todo had to run to film another Public Service announcement to donate blood. The orderlies carefully placed the unconscious red head back into he bed before covering her body. The doctor waited until Mrs. Romanova and herself were the only two people left in the room. The mother looked upon the doctor hoping and praying to hear some good news about her daughter. It was a look the doctor had seen from countless parents over the years about their children. It had never mattered how old he parent was. No matter how old their offspring was the parental instincts never died when their child was hurt. The doctor gave a small smile.**_

"_**Well the test have shown enough improvement in Nene's condition that we can start to wean her off the drugs that have kept her in a coma. We expect that in about 48-72 hours she will be able to regain consciousness."**_

_**From outside the room a couple of loud cheers were heard. It was the two men who were standing guard in Nene's room who overheard the conversation and who no doubt would report the results to the rest of the department once they were relieved of duty.**_


	5. Sylia

Sylia

BZZZZZZZ!

A deep sigh was heard over the intercom system as she made the announcement.

Elimination Mackie.

In frustration her brother tore off his training gloves and threw them hard towards the nearest wall. Once again he had failed the hologram battle simulator. From within the booth Sylia felt pity for her young brother and wanted to give him comfort but this was too important to coddle him right now.

Mackie, you re still thinking too much out there. This program is designed to test your reflex skills. In a real battle you only have enough time to react to a possible target area. If you have to think about it, think about how you re going to attack it then your window of opportunity will disappear.

Watching from inside the booth she realized that he wasn t truly listening. He was still too angry at himself. It had been a struggle to pass even the lowest stages of the simulation and the pounding his ego was taking was making him surly and aggravated. If it had been any of the girls she would have forced them to do it again until they got it right and they d understand. However with her brother a new tact would be needed.

All right Mackie. That s enough for this morning. Take a shower and try to calm down. Well do this again tonight. Its all right. You ll get the hang of this. Even Nene couldn t get past level five for the longest time.

As soon as the words left her mouth Sylia wished she had said anything else. After all Mackie was still fighting to pass level 3 and mentioning Nene was an additional mistake. Her sibling didn t get angry though. His head simply slumped and he sulked his way out of the training area.

Taking off the training outfit Mackie tried hard to forget his mistakes in the training room. According to Sylia there had been rumors that GENOM was about to go back into action and in that case the Knight Sabers would be needed. As it stood right now he d be more of a handicap to the group than an asset and he knew that. All the more reason why he had been training so hard. The Knight Sabers had been nothing but supportive of him during the preparations and for that he was thankful. No jokes, not even in jest or snicker when he made mistakes. A new suit had been recently been completed for his use and now he needed the skills to make the suit work right and he wasn t sure he was going to get to that level in time.

Linna and Priss walked into the recording studio to lay down the tracks for their upcoming CD. They had to wait a few moments before entering because a large red light was on outside the door indicating that recording was going on. The moment the light went off they knew it was safe to enter. There they met Vision their recording crew. In the performance booth they could see their band that were laying down the background tracks being coached by their engineer. He apparently wasn t happy with the last take.

That last take was terrible. Now come on we re way behind schedule. I thought you people were professionals at this. I ve heard junior high school bands showing more talent and potential than you ve shown. Now we re going to do a pickup from the start of the 3rd chorus again and this time I expect you to get this right.

Looking on Priss and Linna wondered if this was the man who would be working with them for the recording of the song. Before having to think about it Vision interrupted.

This is Mel. He ll be your engineer. I admit he looks like a control freak and a slave driver. Actually to a small degree he is. However he is also very good at what he does and can get the best out of people. I prefer using him when I m recording though at times I ll also admit I ll sometimes want to take the microphone and throw it through the window at his thick skull.

That piece of information amazingly calmed the fears down a bit. For if Vision supported him then he had to be good and all sides wanted this recording to be the best work they had ever done.

Turning around Mel finally acknowledged the presence of Priss and Linna.

We should be ready for you in about 30 to 45 minutes if these animals can get their damn act straight.

For the first time in many days the ADP office didn t have the feel of a death knell surrounding it. It had been leaked to the morning papers that Nene Romanova s condition was improving enough to allow her to be taken out of her medically induced coma. The news was greeted with a few loud cheers from Leon but mostly there was a bunch of cautious smiles from the rest of the crew knowing that while the young women was going to live it would be a long time before she could ever come back to active duty. Still that didn t stop Naoko from early planning for a party when her best friend would be released from the hospital.

Still in a business where tragedy is such a common thread any excuse to cut loose and celebrate is a good reason. It took the presence of the temporary police chief to put things into perspective.

People. I know you re happy over the news over Officer Romanova. However we still have a job to do. The rest of the public still need our protection and we need to focus our attentions on doing THAT job. Now if you want to do these other things that s fine. Just do them on your own time. I m sure when he comes back Chief Todo would tell you the same thing.

The temporary captain didn t want to come down so hard on his department but he also felt he had to quickly reestablish the professionalism that was needed to do their jobs well.

Once again Sylia began working on Mackie s hard suit to get it ready for the time when he would need to be a member of the Knight Sabers. Making sure that she had not missed a detail in its design, That the laser would be ready if needed and hoping it wouldn t need to be used. That the electronics were as up to date as possible to protect the Knight Sabers from any form of interference that could render their hard suits useless.

Taking a breather she looked to her left where Nene s hard suit was standing in its storage area silently waiting for the day when it s owner and occupant would return to it. Going over to the suit she pressed her hand against the glass case. Her mind went back to day the day her original hack test had finally been cracked. She could not believe that such a young girl could have broken it as easily as Nene did. Part of her wondered if she was a child prodigy along the lines of Mozart.

She had proven herself worthy of being called a Knight Saber time after time. Her becoming a member of A.D. Police proved to be an equal vital asset. She was able to also provide intelligence via the same police force on Genom and their boomers. Though her immaturity would occasionally be a cause for concern she just as often showed courage, and acted in ways that were well beyond her years. Even though it was that same courage that has currently caused her to be hospitalized.

The recording session proved to be more demanding on Priss than she had anticipated. As the band was clearing out after their session Mel talked to Priss about her arrangement. Going over certain portions of the he understood the directions she wanted in the music before he started giving her any directions. His knowledge of the music field impressed her even before he admitted to her he tried his hand at being a singer himself with less the satisfying results. During this time another individual for the company had taken all the tracks from the various instruments and merged them into a scratch recording to give Priss some background music to help her in her session. This rough draft wasn t smooth like the finished product would be but it would give Priss her timing for her singing portion which would be put on a different track to start with.

The first portion of the recording went well for Priss. The tracks for the first and second verse went smoothly and it appeared that this recording could be one of the fastest on record. However as she began her 3rd chorus she heard a sound on the track that affected her. There were the sounds of violins that gave an angelic sound to the music. She knew she had put that instrument into the song. It was suppose to sound sad in her mind reflecting the feelings she had felt towards Nene. The sounded caused her voice to choke up and caused her emotions to show. It was quickly realized by the studio engineer.

Priss? Is something wrong? Are you all right? , Mel asked with genuine concern in his voice.

Taking a tissue from a nearby table she blew her nose then went back to the microphone.

I m fine. This part gets to me. It got to me when I wrote it and I guess it s getting to me now singing it.

Do you need a moment to composure yourself. Our time factor is excellent. We ve got the studio booked for another 6 hours. Linda, bring some water to Priss. Take 5 and we ll get back to work.

It was little wonder why Vision thought so highly of this man. Yes, he could be a slave driver and a control freak, but he also knew when it was time to ease up and how to work with the talent. She looked through the window toward Linna who gave a thumbs up to Priss allowing her to know that from where she was standing the recording was going very, very well.

Walking through the halls of the hospital Chief Todo and his niece Lisa Vinette had come to visit Nene. This would be the last chance for the chief to spend so much time with his subordinate before his suspension ended and he would be back at work. Lisa was there during a school break and had been begging her uncle to let her see Nene. The two had forged a close friendship during her one week vacation before. She was also the keeper of Nene s secret. Originally planning on exposing the Knight Sabers for having destroyed her original camera that attitude changed when those same people saved her during an attack on the A.D. Police building by boomers. To show her future intentions when her time with Nene was over she gave her the picture showing her as a Knight Saber and the disc from the camera.

Good morning. Any new info on Nene today? ,asked Chief Todo to Mrs. Romanova as he entered the room.

Well she s off the coma medication. Still haven t woken up yet though. A couple of times during the night I thought I saw her hand twitch slightly. Not sure if I was dreaming that though. For now all I can do is sit ..and wait ..and wait ..and wait some more.

With the grownup conversing between them Lisa grabbed a chair and placed it at the head of the bed to sit down. She spoke softly to the women she eventually learned to idolize.

Hi Nene. It s me Lisa. Sorry I haven t show up before now but school was still in session and everything. Please Nene, you ve got to get better. I need you, the ADP needs you, the ..

Stopping before she said the words loud enough to be heard by the others in the room she whispered softly into Nene s ear so only she could have heard it.

The Knight Sabers need you. Please, you ve got to wake up.

During the rest of her time at the hospital Lisa whispered comments to the unconscious figure as her uncle Chief Todo looked on. He still remembered the day Nene was injured and the phone call he received from his niece. She was obviously distraught then and now seeing her friend brought all the emotions back to her.

By the time Priss and Linna were done with the recording session the sun was beginning to set. The cool breeze felt good against their faces after being in the stuffy rooms of the recording studio most of the day. The whole session was full of surprises. When she had finished her song the first time Priss believed the session was over but Mel wanted her to re-record certain parts of the song he wasn t sure came out as well as it could have. It was an eye opening education about the workings of the recording business that until then she had never known or experienced.

It was an equally educational experience for Linna. She marveled at how Mel knew when to push Priss around and when to back off. There were times she was sure Priss would get into his face and tell him quite colorfully what he could do with his instructions. Yet somehow she never did. Maybe she wanted this song to be the best work she would ever do just like Mel wanted it to be the best thing he ever did. Maybe she did it because she knew what was produced could lead to further songs she wrote being able to be heard by the public and she wouldn t want to risk that by behaving like a diva.

Even at the end of the recording session when she should have been exhausted Priss was still energetic and alert. No doubt there was still an adrenaline rush involved but even with that consideration Linna would have expected to be more exhausted than her.

Tell you what. Lets celebrate. I ll take you out for dinner. My treat. , offered Linna.

Before the rock star could respond the watches they were wearing started beeping. That could mean only one thing. That the Knight Sabers were needed.

Looks like I ll have to take a rain check on that dinner. ,admitted Priss.

Without another word Priss mounted her motorcycle while Linna got into her car heading to the place where the entire Knight Saber crowd would meet.

Back at their headquarters Sylia Stingray grappled with a difficult decision of her own. Should she include Mackie in this mission. After all his failure in the simulator proved he wasn t up to hand to hand combat with the boomers. However he was still a member of the team. To leave him off would indicate to him and the rest of the team that he wasn t worthy to be part of the Knight Sabers. That might prove to be too big a blow to his ego, especially given how much time and effort he had been putting in with his training. In the end there was only one decision that could be made. Picking up the phone she called the auto repair shop where he worked.

Hi Mackie, its Sylia. Drop what you re doing. We ve got a job to do.

Back at the hospital Lisa continued her vigil over Nene. Her uncle and Nene s mother had stepped out to get something to eat. But the niece claimed she wasn t hungry. It made her feel so helpless just sitting next to the bed. The beeps of the heart monitors in their droning rhythm.

Then without warning the pace of the beeps changed as did their pitch. This got the young girls attention. As she looked she noticed Nene s eye s were slightly open for a the briefest of moments before they began to close again. Lisa wasn t sure what had happened but she went and called for a nurse.

A young women appeared and listened to what Lisa had to say. Double checking the EKG graph she studied them intently. Taking her cel phone out she dialed a number then closed it. Within 5 minutes Nene s mother and Chief Todo arrived at the room. The mother looked at her daughter then to the nurse.

What s going on? What happened. , the mother asked.

Nene just had her first attempt to wake up. We were alerted by this girl here so we didn t actually see it but she did. Also her neural stimulus spiked for a few seconds. The medication is still strongly inside her but this is a good sign that she ll be coming out of this soon.

For the first time in what had seemed like an eternity it was the best news the mother had heard.

The Knight Sabers drove down the highway. Already dressed in their hard suits Linna drove the vehicle while Priss paced back and forth in the van. Meanwhile in the back Sylia and Mackie sat in a private conference in the back. The brother had been uncharacteristic in his silence.

Nervous? , she asked.

Yeah. I m afraid I m going to screw up. Just like I did in the simulator. ,her brother added

Just remember your training. React, don t think. Besides your only job on this assignment is to watch out for electronic virus s that could compromise our software. You won t be asked to do any fighting. Just make sure to stay far enough away from the action but close enough to be able to monitor us. You ll get your chance for action soon enough but I m not going to endanger you if that is possible.

As the van arrived at its destination the door slid open and the Knight Sabers proceeded into battle. The girls entered the fray as they had done many times before and as instructed Mackie remained a safe distance away watching the monitors inside his suit and calling out to the Sabers when any part of their suit was on the verge of being compromised so they could take appropriate actions. Though the battle was difficult for most of it the Knight Sabers were possessing the upper hand.

Without warning however a boomer landed right in front of Mackie alarming him to the point that he couldn t react for the briefest of times. It was enough of a delay for the boomer to strike at the face of his suit. With that one blow all of Mackie s visual monitors were knocked out. Not being able to see where the boomer was he tried to cover up like a boxer. With his back unprotected the boomer struck a pair of strikes to the area causing him to lose his balance.

Help, I m in trouble. , was all the words he could call out before the boomer struck with a kick knocking him onto his back where his suit was starting to short circuit. Luckily the insulation within the metal protected him from being shocked but with no electricity he couldn t move. His hard suit had no become a tomb with him locked inside of it. There was no way to get out by himself. He could hear the boomer strike several more blows to the suit until it was satisfied that he had been immobilized before departing leaving Mackie alone and in trouble.

The first thing Mackie realized was that he must not panic. If he did then the limited amount of air within the suit would be consumed too fast. His sister had explained that this suit had been made to be leak proof in case the fight had broken out in water. That otherwise air would be recirculated through the machine. Now with the power supply gone every breath he took was releasing carbon dioxide into his limited atmosphere.

His mind began to wander. He recalled the times when he listened in to the discussions of the Knight Sabers. How his sister kept pressing the point that the team be kept at a sharp edge because one mistake against a boomer could easily be the last thing they ever see. Only now did he realize the fullness of that statement.

In the past when the rest of the team had been called into action he had always been afraid that one or more of them wouldn t come back alive. While he naturally had concern for all the ladies his most pressing concern had been for Nene. She wasn t as physically tough as Priss or have the endurance of Linna. Her brain power matched that of her sister but even then her physical abilities weren t as strong. Now he started to wonder if she ever felt the same way within the suit that he was feeling now.

He could feel himself starting to sweat inside the suit wondering if his message for help had managed to get out. He began to feel his eyes starting to flutter wanting to close. Mackie realized that if he allowed his eyes to shut there was a good chance he would die from the lack of breathable air. His mind kept telling him to stay awake. Stay alive. Stay alive. Stay a ..

The eye s opened up. The first thing that was noticed was all the white.

Am I in heaven? , was the only thought in the mind while the eye s tried to scan their surroundings to make sense of their situation. It wasn t until the eye moved to the left that they saw a familiar figure. One that hadn t been seen in a while.

Lisa? , a weak voice pronounced.

Then to the right two more figures were spotted.

Chief Todo? Mama?

Lisa was quick to throw her arms around Nene s neck to kiss her cheek. She could see her mother with her hands clasped in a prayer of thanks for this moment. Even Chief Todo a man not normally given to displays of emotion seemed to be tearing up.

Nene tried to respond to the hug with one of her own but her arms did little more than flop around her young friend. This caused her to be concerned.

What s wrong with my arms?

Her mother provided the information. That it had been explained that since she had been in a medically induced coma for the last several days a little muscular uncoordination was to be expected. However the damage wouldn t be permanent and that with a little practice she would once again have use of her arms.

For the rest of the day Nene asked about what happened. The last thing she remembered was the building collapsing. She was told how Leon saved her life with his actions at the scene and that he even donated his own blood to keep her alive. That the ADP collectively had flowers delivered to her room. It made her feel very special. It was followed up by the heroic efforts made by the doctors and nurses to keep her body alive until this point. It made her realize just how lucky she was to have made it this far.

In a supply closet a solitary figure produced a cel phone and began dialing. After a few moments its picked up.

This is White Angel . The cop just woke up .I tried to but it was difficult to make the accident happen with that girl s mother and the cops hovering around her ..Yes we re definatly going to have to go with plan B ..I understand. Bye.

The figure closed the phone and waited a few minutes before opening the door a crack. When it was clear that nobody could see her the figure exited. Smoothing out her nurses uniform she began to move about as if nothing was out of the ordinary. At she neared one of the nurses stations a page was heard on the P.A.

Emergency team to room 3-203 STAT!

Even though she had been paid by Genom to make sure the cop didn t recover she was still a nurse who had been employee at the hospital to heal the wounded. Now she went to the indicated room to do that duty.

By the time the other Knight Sabers found they were unsure how much time had passed since his broken transmission. His non-response to their calls let them know his suit had shut down completely and that he was running out of air.

Priss picked the suited figure in her arms and the three quickly made their way to their van. Inside Sylia pulled some electrical cables out of a cabinet with the vehicle. Just after Linna had plugged in the device to the power grid for the vehicle Sylia pulled off the emergency power outlet from just above Mackie s suited head. Punching in the override code to allow the suit to open up there was relief when the suit began to crack open. Helping move the upper portion of the suit they saw Mackie with his eye s closed and his breathing very shallow.

Quick, get the oxygen tank. , Sylia commanded.

Priss had the tank and mask in hand even before it had been asked. Turning the knob to release its concentrated contents Sylia hooked the mask over her brothers nose and mouth. She gently slapped her the face of her younger sibling calling out his name hoping for a response. The leader of the group began to fear if she had just condemned her own flesh and blood to his death.

With a couple of cough s Mackie began to come back to the living. His hand now freed from the suit tried to take the oxygen mask off but was not allowed to by his sister. With the other hand Sylia cupped it around his cheek as she muttered apologies for what she had just put him through.

Not your fault sis. I failed you. I failed Nene.

**Authors notes**: Yeah, its taken me a long time to write this chapter. This is the part of the story where I begin to try and start closing out the story, start closing loose ends. A lot more will happen I m sure with the next chapter which if my calculations are correct will be the next to last or last one. Now that this tough chapter is completed hopefully the next one will be done a lot faster.

P.S. The member of my family who I mentioned got stricken with cancer in my authors notes last chapter has made a complete recover and is now cancer free. Just wanted to share that bit of good news with everybody.


End file.
